All I want for Christmas......

is peace, love and 10 less pounds.....

Okay, it's true, I added a few other things to my list too......

It's been awhile since I mentioned weight.  So, I figured I'd talk a little about what's happening here on my belly.   As I shared a few weeks back, I've been struggling with close to a 20 pound weight gain.  And, I'm pretty sure most of those pounds planted themselves firmly on my belly.  Thankfully, I've been able to erase about 8 of those pounds by refocusing myself on these Lap Band basics as much as I can  and by recommitting to a good but reasonable exercise program (mostly walking and some running).   And, I must give some credit to the craziness of the past few weeks with my husband's bout with illness, my uncle's passing and all of the comings and goings of visitors and house guests....in addition to the regular business of life here in my world.  
This bout with weight gain shouldn't have caught me by surprise but for some reason, it did.  I have to admit that I slacked off a little bit more than I should have for awhile and the results made themselves known in my pants, on the scale and how I felt about myself.   Even though I know better than to assume that my Lap band will save me from ever gaining weight, I still behaved like I didn't have to hold up my end of the bargain.  Maybe I just needed a break from the hard work of maintenance, maybe I just got tired or maybe I just didn't feel like thinking about it all so much. 
Looking back, I can see what happened....I'm not exactly sure why it happened and I may never really know.  But, it's a hard reminder that my Lap band is a tool.  It is not the magic bullet.  I have to do the work.  It is not the easy way out.  It is not a promise of thinness or a guarantee of never gaining weight.   Yet, I let myself fall into that trap for a little while. 
Fortunately, I caught myself before that 20 pounds turned into 50 and then into 100.  Therein lies the magic.  You see, I knew what it felt like to live for close to 7 years as someone who felt good about herself and her weight loss progress. I knew what it was like to fit into pants without struggle, to look in the mirror and not want to cry and to want to go out and enjoy life.  And, I knew that's how I wanted to live forever.   You see, feeling that way wasn't so far out of my reach---it wasn't  just a distant memory.....it was recent and it wasn't that many pounds ago. That's how and why I caught myself.  That's what helped me to refocus and recommit.  That's what helped me to get back on track and to turn the scale around.
This time of the year is notorious for destroying good eating habits and for packing on the pounds.  It doesn't have to be.  I proved that for 6 holiday seasons and I plan to prove it for 6 more and then 6 more after that and then 6 more.....
So, Santa, my dear.....now that I think about it.....just give me peace, love and all those other things.  
I got these 10 pounds....